Pesticides are used on tobacco and food a lot. According to scientists, there is a threshold for pesticide ingestion where below certain levels is harmless, and above certain levels is considered to be a hazard to your health. Pesticides are commonly used when growing marijuana, but there are not any studies or scientifically proven limits as to how much pesticides is too much on marijuana, and what pesticides should be avoided altogether. It’s something that states have been struggling with as they see their medical and/or recreational marijuana industries grow.
Pesticide use in Colorado has resulted in what is being described as a ‘first-of-its-kind’ lawsuit. Per US News:
Two marijuana users in Colorado filed a lawsuit Monday against a pot business they said used an unhealthy pesticide to grow their weed — a case that lawyers say is the first product liability claim in the nation involving the legal marijuana industry.
The case underscores disagreement over what chemicals should be allowed in the cultivation of pot and leaves the plaintiffs facing a dilemma: The U.S. government still regards almost all marijuana as an illicit drug and there are no federal safety guidelines for growing it.
The state of Colorado has approved a list of pesticides that are acceptable to grow pot, but it’s far from complete and leaves out several pesticides that are commonly used on both food and tobacco.
The lawsuit filed in state court targets use of a fungicide called Eagle 20 EW by a Denver-based pot company called LivWell, where authorities quarantined thousands of plants earlier this year, saying they had been treated with the pesticide.
There have been some very eye-opening articles lately in regards to pesticides and legal marijuana. Investigative reports have found very high levels of pesticides on plants, which has led to calls for more comprehensive pesticide rules. Something that I have talked about with people before, but seems to have not gained any traction (yet), is the use of heavy metal fertilizers during the grow process. Even the tobacco industry regulates heavy metals. The marijuana industry needs to get out ahead of things, and not be like the tobacco industry and try to ignore things until the industry is forced to make changes.
